Alive If We Bruise
by Jedi Jelsa777
Summary: A certain doctor reemerges into the light of day and agrees to care for a certain young rebel. Ezra discovers that all is not as lost as he thought.
1. Chapter 1

***So the night before I went to see The Force Awakens (which I have an epic story in mind for that once I finish this one) I finished up my mini Star Wars marathon and watched the last three episodes of The Clone Wars Season 6. I ran into a favorite character of mine from before and this time I was like I need to do something with her. All the sites I looked up she was listed under unknown species, so if you happen to have more info on her please let me know. This story isn't meant to be about her, but rather just bring her some much needed love :D**

 **Also, title of this fanfic comes from Landon Austin's Armor, which is totally stuck in my head (especially the first part of the chorus) so forgive me XD Plus a friend of mine who does YT videos challenged me to use this song some way so hah Lily, this is how I choose to use it :P Can't wait to see what you come up with.**

 **Oh one last thing I should mention, Legacy is the last episode before this story and so while I might steal ideas from future episodes, at this point that is the last thing that happened.**

Dr. Rig Nema smiled as her last patient left the room. Of course, they didn't know her as Doctor Nema, that would be foolhardy in this day and age. Instead she was known to her patients as Dr. Rav Nokanda. Keeping her original initials had helped her remember and memorize her new identity. She thought back to that day, when the order was given to kill the Jedi. She had been in the field, patching up a Trooper when the first shots rang out.

She had hasted to see the cause of the close shots, only to see a fellow Jedi falling by the hands of several Troopers. She heard someone muttering something about a good soldier following orders and another someone shouting, "Kill the Jedi!" In all the confusion, she managed to slip away, her status as doctor causing many to forget that she too knew how to handle a lightsaber. While a part of her still regretted not trying to help the Jedi she had seen fall, one she didn't even take the time to recognize, another part of her told her that if she had, she too would be dead.

She sighed at that thought and added to herself, "What does it matter? It's not like I'm out there doing anything to change things." A light rap at her door startled her out of her thoughts. Hastening to it, she looked out a small window installed within it. A human man and a female Togruta supported a young man between the two of them, his left leg being held gingerly as they looked about as if they expected trouble. Of course with the Empire being around it stood to reason that they would.

Unbolting the door, Nema asked, "Can I help you?" "Our friend took a bolt to the leg and is bleeding badly." The Togruta said, something in her tone familiar, though her face was turned so Nema couldn't get a good look at her. "Come in." Nema said. The man hesitated and said, "We are on the run from the Empire." As if that would change her mind. "All the more reason for you to get out of sight faster." She said as she turned inward to get the supplies she would need together.

Because her back was turned she missed the grateful eyes of the man and the astonished look of the female. Once they had the young man settled, who had passed out from the pain caused by the injury, Nema got to work cleaning and closing up the wound. As she worked, she felt two pairs of eyes on her, one of which seemed to be really studying her, like she recognized her. That made Nema nervous, for though these people said they were on the run from the Empire, it wouldn't be good to be recognized.

As she finished the last step, the Togruta said something that made Nema's blood run cold. "Thank you Dr. Nokanda is it? You know you look really familiar to me." Nema turned away to start cleaning things up, as well as to hide how her hands were shaking. "Perhaps you have seen me around town." She suggested, just barely keeping the quiver of fear from slipping into her voice. She turned around just as the Togruta shook her head and said, "We only arrived a little while ago ourselves."

It was Nema's turn to study the Togruta, the familiarity brushing against her subconscious but remaining just out of grasp as to tell her why. "Maybe if I knew your names I could tell you, but I really don't think we have met." She reached for more of her tools as the Togruta surprised her by saying, "The one you patched up is Ezra, this is Kanan and I am Ahsoka." The tools slipped from Nema's grasp, clattering to the ground as she gasped, "Ahsoka!?"

Ahsoka immediately became wary and said, "That's right. Why?" Nema collected herself as she said, "Well now I can honestly answer we have met, many times actually, thought it has been a number of years and you have grown up so. My real name is Dr Rig Nema, I was a doctor in the Jedi Order. I patched up you and your master more than any other Jedi." That last part was said with a soft chuckle at the memories that stirred up. She was surprised by the sudden rush of Ahsoka, who leapt forward to encase her in a hug.

"I can't believe you're alive!" Ahsoka exclaimed, "It's so good to see you again." Nema returned the hug after a short pause of hesitation as she answered, "I had hoped you had survived, Ahsoka, as I hoped any Jedi had survived besides me. Tell me, have you heard from any of the others?" Before Ahsoka could answer, another rap came from Nema's door. All three Jedi immediately tensed, before Nema softly hastened to see who was there. As soon as she saw the white, she knew they were in trouble and hurried back into the room with the others.

"Stormtroopers are outdoors. We must hide you three, thankfully I already cleaned up most of the mess." Nema said as she scurried about the room, picking up the few things that would point to one as wounded as Ezra being there. Soon as that was done, she motioned them over to a wall, which when she had rolled back with the Force, showed a small room just big enough for Ahsoka and Kanan to lay Ezra on the floor of and still have room for themselves. "Get in, I will get rid of the Stormtroopers." She said.

She waited until they were settled, before sliding it closed with the Force and hastening to answer her door. As she opened it she said, "Sorry I was in the refresher, can I help you?" "We are searching for some fugitives, one of which is wounded and will need the care of a doctor. We need to search your premises in order to be sure that you aren't hiding these Rebels. If you are, we will be forced to take action." Nema stepped back and said, "Be my guest."

As the Troopers searched, it was all she could do not to look at the wall that hid the other Jedi. Suddenly she noticed that she had forgotten to pick up the tools she had dropped when she recognized Ahsoka's name. She knew it was a matter of time until the Troopers found them, in fact just as she thought that, one of them squatted down next to them and said, "Well what do we have here."


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks for the follows and fav! Also sorry for the wait, I wasn't smart with this story and instead of writing up a few chapters before posting I just wrote the one. So this one might be a bit slower coming out then my last few, due to time I have to write, plus inspiration flow or lack of it, but I will try not to leave you all waiting to long.**

 **Pink ranger 13, here it is :D**

Nema held her breath as he stood up with the tools in hand. "You shouldn't be so careless with your tools doc, people could get sick." He said as he placed them on the table. Nema cautiously let out her breath as she said, "I had a rather rambunctious patient today. Guess I missed a few of the tools they upset." Her remark brought a round of chuckles from the Troopers before the head one said, "Okay looks clean to me, let's move along."

The Stormtroopers marched out of her office as relief flooded into her. She watched them until they were out of sight down the street. She went to the door and opened it again, finding Ezra had awakened and was sitting between the two Jedi. "How far is your ship from here?" Nema asked them. "Not far for us, but I don't know about Ezra, especially if we are spotted." Kanan replied. Nema looked at the teen and could see that sweat was already beading his brow.

"He shouldn't be moved too much, he might reopen the wound." Nema stated, hesitating to add her other thought a moment, before adding it, "He can stay with me for a week and if I find him able to be moved at that time, I will contact you. If necessary I have a friend who can arrange a ride to meet you, but I don't think the Empire will stick around here in such a big group once you're gone."

Ezra looked up at Kanan, not quite able to hide the fear of being left behind from showing up in his eyes. Kanan sighed and said, "Ezra it's what's best for you." Turning to Nema he said, "It's not just Stormtroopers that are after us, but we have some Inquisitors as well. Perhaps you should come with us when we come to get Ezra." Nema turned so they couldn't see her expression as she said, "We shall see." Ahsoka and Kanan shared a look that said they weren't holding out hope, before Kanan knelt beside his Padawan.

Ezra wouldn't look at him as he said, "I will come back Ezra." Ezra mumbled something he couldn't quite hear so he said, "What?" Ezra looked up at him, a bit of annoyance flashing in his eyes, as he said "I used to think my parents were, but they can't now." A look of sympathy crossed Kanan's face, as he said, "Ezra, I can't guarantee that I won't die, but know that if I don't there is nothing in the galaxy that will keep me away from you."

Ezra's look changed from annoyance to almost insecure/desperate as he said, "Promise?" Kanan smiled and said, "Promise." Kanan stood and said, "Behave for Nema." As his Padawan protested that he always behaved, Kanan turned to Nema and said "Do you want me to move him somewhere before I go." Nema nodded and said, "I have a spare room in the back for patients, you can put him on the bed there."

As Kanan moved off to do that, Ahsoka asked, "What if the Stormtroopers come back?" Nema sighed and said, "I will have to hope they don't recognize him, but once he is in bed I can add some bandages and stuff to his head to help disguise him a bit and hopefully that will be enough to throw those Bucketheads off." Ahsoka smiled as she leaned in and hugged the other Jedi and said "It was so good to see you again Nema."

As they parted, Kanan walked in and said "We should go. Stay safe Nema." And with a final nod and wave, they two Jedi disappeared out the door. Once alone with her thoughts, Nema berated herself, questioning her decision to have the Padawan stay. She also couldn't understand why Ahsoka's offer was so tempting.

Here she was hidden from the Empire, living under their very nose, though always wondering what the day would bring and how long her safety would last. Whereas, Ahsoka and the other Jedi lived in full view of the Empire, flaunting their abilities in their faces in a course she was sure they couldn't last long in.

XXX

Later that day, after closing her office, she went to check on the Padawan. She found him staring up at the ceiling with a bored expression. Hearing her come in, his eyes went to hers as he said, "Don't you have anything to do around here?" Dr. Nema smiled patiently as she sat beside him and said, "Well that depends, most days I am so busy caring for others I don't really need to much to do after, generally heading to bed soon after supper. But I could tell you tales of what life was like before the Empire, back when the Jedi were something."

She could tell she instantly had Ezra's attention, his eyes brightening and he struggled into a sitting position, as he said, "Really? That would be amazing!" So for the next few hours she told him tale after tale, some making him laugh and others making him jump as she startled him much like the Jedi of her story was. As she finished her last tale, Ezra sighed and said, "I wish I could have seen all of that, it sounds wonderful."

A faraway look filled Nema's eyes as she said, "It was." After a moment of silence she shook her head and said, "Now it's late, you should get some rest, it will help you heal faster. I promise I will tell you more stories about it tomorrow night and I will see about getting you something to do tomorrow while I am working." Ezra nodded, more tired than he wanted to let on, though Nema could tell. Before she had even turned off the light, he was fast asleep.

XXX

Several days past with Nema and Ezra spending a lot of time together. After the first two days she had allowed him to sit with her in her office as long as there wasn't a patient there. Though with the added amount of Stormtroopers in the area, there had been less of them than usual. She was a little worried that the Stormtroopers seemed to have increased in numbers rather than decreased as she thought. If things continued the way they were she was going to need to contact her friend to get Ezra off of here.

She had run out of stories to tell him about the Jedi, had even repeated a couple at his request, so she started telling tales about those she had healed or met during the course of her practice. One night, just as she was getting ready to tell him it was time for bed, she said, "You know, you and your friends are not the first people I met who have stood up to the Empire. Why just a couple of weeks ago, I helped this couple that had escaped from this prison of the Empire, they had both gotten some minor injuries from it."

She stopped speaking as she saw Ezra staring at her with a strange look as he stuttered, "What were their names?" She gave him an odd look as she answered, "They never told me their names, but I did here the woman call her husband Ephraim." "You saw my parents!?" Ezra exclaimed.


	3. Chapter 3

**ezraSWrebels, thanks for the review! Glad you are enjoying this story!**

Dr. Nema waited for the transmission to go through to her friend as she replayed what had happened the previous night. After she had finished describing the couple, Ezra said he was sure they were his parents and had tried to contact his friends on the Ghost, but to no avail. The signal just wouldn't go through. She had gotten Ezra to finally go to bed by promising to contact her friend in the morning to see about getting him off the planet. That was of course after she told him about after having stayed for a few days, the couple had left to go to Lothal.

Sudenly an older sounding voice said, "Well, what can I do for you doctor?" Nema turned her attention to the projection as she said, "Maz, it's good to see you again. How are things on Takodana?" "They are going well, but I am sure that is not the only reason you have contacted me." "Right, I am trying to help a young friend get off planet, but there are a lot of Stormtroopers. Know anyone willing to take those odds?" "I might. Let me ask around and I will let you know when I know." Maz replied.

"Thank you Maz." Nema replied, before signing off. She checked on Ezra, who was still sleeping, before going to open up her office for the day. She was glad Ezra was asleep, it had taken a long time for him to settle down after he had discovered he had missed his parents by weeks. How she wished that she could get in touch with Ahsoka so that Ezra could tell his Master everything, for he had told her a few times last night how they had been told that Ezra's parents were dead. But she had been lucky to get in touch with Maz, for it seemed that the Empire was blocking a lot of transmissions. She only hoped Maz would be able to get through to her when she found someone.

XXX

A couple hours later, Ezra and Nema were eating lunch when a transmission from Maz came through. "I've got someone willing to do it. He is young and rash, but luck seems to be with him in everything he does. And his price is reasonable." Nema sighed, hoping the price was reasonable enough that she could afford it as she asked, "What is his name?" Before Maz could reply their signal was interrupted, causing them to lose connection with her. "That's not good." Ezra mumbled, as both he and Nema went to the window and looked out.

Flying low were several Star Destroyers, TIE Fighters flying in and out of them, as several Imperial Shuttles headed for the ground. "Ezra, you have to go into the room you were in when you first arrived and stay as quiet as possible." Nema said as she moved away from the window, tugging him with her. She opened the hidden door with the Force, waiting for him to get comfortable, before closing the door once again. Nema packed some of her medical instruments into a bag, in case she was called out due to a skirmish between the Stormtroopers and the locals.

Then she waited, for hours she waited, opening the door to hand Ezra some food and water when she felt safe enough to do so. She had just closed the door after one of these times, when there came a pounding at the door. It was her neighbor, Treva, and she was frantic, "Oh Dr. Nokanda, they have taken my son and when my husband tried to stop them they shot him. He is alive, but bleeding, please come help."

"Of course, Treva." Nema said, before grabbing her bag and following the woman to her house next door. As she patched up Treva's unconscious husband, she asked, "Do you know why they took your son?" "It seems that someone is harboring a young Rebel, or so they think, about my son's age. They say they will return him once they have verified that he is not the boy they are looking for, but I don't know if I believe them." Treva said, having regained some of her composure.

"What makes them think that this young Rebel is here?" Nema asked as she finished binding the wound. "Apparently, the one they are looking for was injured on this planet about a week ago. He also usually travels with this one group, and since they haven't seen him with them, they are assuming he is still here." Nema put a hand on Treva's arm and said, "I am so sorry this happened Treva. Hopefully the Empire will be true to their word and return your son to you soon." She packed up her bag and left the house amid Treva's thanks.

XXX

Hours later, the Empire moved on to another part of the planet, opening up transmissions once again. Nema immediately contacted Maz and told her to send the pilot as soon as possible, after telling her what happened. The two signed off with Maz saying he should be there by the next day her time, which Nema was thankful for. She also knew that she was going to go with Ezra, at least until he was back with his friends, for she wasn't sure if the pilot would try to betray him to the Empire if he was alone.

The next day couldn't come soon enough for either Nema or Ezra, both hardly able to stop fidgeting for fear that the Empire would discover Ezra before they were able to make their escape. As it was getting closer to noon, there was a knock at the door. Nema motioned for Ezra to go to the secret room, before going to answer the door. Upon opening it, she found a young man with brown hair standing there. "May I help you?" she asked. "That depends. Maz told me there was someone here looking for transport off this rock."

Relief flooded Nema's face as she said, "Oh that's wonderful. Come in." Once he had entered and she had closed the door, she turned back to facing him and said, "Maz told me your fee and it is acceptable. There will just be me, the boy and my bag, he carries his backpack with him everywhere, so they are practically one and the same. Where did you dock your ship, Mr…?" "Its nearby and the name is Solo, Captain Han Solo."

 **Okey I just love Maz so I couldn't resist adding her into this XD I honestly don't know much about Han's background, so if anything is off from cannon in what comes next with him, then please forgive me and take it as writer's imagination liberty XD**


	4. Chapter 4

**Sari Dark, I am glad you got excited about Han Solo :D I hope my story lives up to your expectations!**

 **ezraSWrebels, haha hurray for superfangirling XD Han Solo seems to have been a favorite as far as characters I have brought into this XD**

 **heartbreakerninja, lol I guess cause who else would we know am I right XD Han sure got me a lot of reviews this chapter, hope he doesn't charge me XD**

 **Also thanks to those who faved and followed!**

Thanks to the Empire having moved on to other parts of the planet in their search for Ezra, there were next to no patrols in this section and the few that were left were easy to avoid. They soon came to the docking bay that held Solo's ship, and the first thought in Nema's mind was, "Wow what a piece of junk." With Ezra voicing the exact same words only seconds later. Solo scowled and said, "Hey it is not. Not to mention I just recently won it in a game against a friend, so I haven't had time to add my own touch to it. Besides, why would the Empire look for you in there, am I right?"

Neither Nema nor Ezra could argue with that logic, though Nema did wonder if it would hold together long enough to get them to Lothal. She handed Solo half of the promised credits, telling him he would get the rest when he got them safely to Lothal. He rolled his eyes, showing what he thought of their doubt in him and his ship, and sauntered off to the cockpit. "Friendly guy, isn't he." Ezra remarked. "Now Ezra, we did dis his ship a little." Nema said with a small smile.

She set her bag down by the table, it mainly held her medical supplies so she always wanted to keep it near. "Now, how about we do some meditation. I know you probably don't often have enough time for it, so why not make the most of this bit of peace?" Nema asked. Ezra grudgingly agreed, excited to be learning from someone other than Kanan and yet a bit annoyed that all she wanted to focus on was meditating. As he settled into position, she said with her eyes closed from her own sitting position "I was a doctor even when I was Jedi, Ezra, and that was more my focus point then my blades, though I do know how to wield them if necessary."

Ezra blushed a little, knowing that she had been able to read his thoughts easily. He just hadn't been able to learn how to mask his feelings from other Jedi, not that he had many who could. "Strong mental shields are built up by mediation Ezra. Tell me, are you able to easily sense your Master's thoughts and feelings?" she asked him. Ezra mumbled, "Not usually." "I rest my case." She said. Ezra sighed then tried to focus on mediating, as the ship that Solo had said was called the Millennium Falcon took to the skies.

XXX

A couple hours later, just as they finished their meditation, Han came in and said, "We're going to have to stop for fuel on Tatooine, shouldn't take long, assuming Jabba the Hutt's cronies don't cause us trouble." Ezra almost thought he meant his friends, but then he recalled the creature whom he "borrowed" the name from. Ezra sighed at the thought of another delay, no matter how short it was.

Putting a hand on his shoulder, Nema said, "Patience Ezra. Besides, we may be able to get in touch with your friends while Han gets fuel." Ezra saw her point. Now that they were out of Empire controlled space, the likely hood of getting through to his friends was greater. They might even come to Tatooine or they could at least meet them at Lothal. He answered with a simple, "Okey." which made Nema smile gently at him, knowing how important it was for him to get to Lothal.

XXX

After landing on Tatooine, Han went in search of the best fuel prices while Nema and Ezra tried to get through to the others. After a few unsuccessful tries, Nema could tell that Ezra was getting frustrated and told him to go outside and explore a little, but not to go too far since they weren't sure when Han would be back. He agreed to do so, though in his mind it was under duress, and went off the ship to do exactly that.

As he walked around outside, he could feel eyes on him, deciding if he was an easy target or not. One of the groups watching him must have decided he was, for they started to come towards him from across the way. Suddenly a kid, about his age with blond hair walked up to him and saying, "There you are I was looking all over for you. Hurry or Uncle Owen will be mad." The group making their way towards Ezra paused, uncertain if they should continue to their target or not.

Ezra took the opportunity, thinking it was a mistake in identity and said, "Right, lead the way." After they had made a few turns, the blond hair kid turned to Ezra and said, "Glad to see you picked up on my tactic. Those guys are always messing with off worlders." "Yeah, thanks for the save." Ezra replied, "I'm Ezra by the way." "Luke." said the blond hair kid, before his eyes turn wistful and he asked, "What's it like getting to see other worlds? To see space?"

Ezra spent awhile talking to him, and was just starting to describe what going through hyperspace felt like, when a voice said, "Luke? Where are you? We need to be heading home." Luke slapped his forehead and said, "Woah did I lose track of the time." A little louder he called, "Coming Aunt Beru." Once again speaking to Ezra he asked, "Do you know how to get where you need to?" "I think so, it's basically where you saved me." "Good then go, those guys won't like it if they realize you're not really with us. Thanks for telling me about everything Ezra."

"You're welcome. Quick question, what's it like living on a desert planet?" Luke's eyes clouded a little a small frown slipped onto his face as he said, "Boring, very boring. One day I am going to get off this dust ball." "Look me up when you do." Ezra said, trying to lighten the mood again, which worked for Luke smiled and said, "I'll do that." With a wave of his hand he jogged off in the direction the voice had come from.

After a few wrong turns, Ezra found his way back to the Falcon. The last of the fuel was just being put into it and so his timing was great. Plus Nema had great news, for minutes after he left she had made contact with Ahsoka and Kanan. Kanan said that unless something major happened, the rest of the Ghost crew would meet them at Lothal. "Where will you go once we meet up with them?" Ezra asked, concern for the lone Jedi filling his voice.

"I don't know Ezra, probably back to my practice." "But what if by coming with me, they realized you were the one hiding me? They could be waiting to arrest or even kill you!" Ezra exclaimed. "I'll be fine Ezra, I promise." "Will you at least think about staying?" Ezra pleaded. Nema sighed and said, "I will think about it Ezra, but I will not make any promises." Ezra smiled and said, "Good enough." as once again the Millennium Falcon took to the air.

 **My goodness, Nema has stuck around longer then I originally planned, lol. She was originally only going to be in the first two chapters XD**


	5. Chapter 5

**Sari Dark, haha yep we got see Luke for a moment :D As for anymore surprise guest, who knows (besides if I did know and I told you they wouldn't be a surprise anymore ;), at the moment none are planned, but we shall see what the future holds, I'm glad you are finding it exciting!**

 **Specter 13, glad you liked the last chapter, hope this one is just as satisfying!**

 **Rebel Specter 6, here yah go XD**

 **Thanks also for all the favs and watches! Its so wonderful to see people liking this story!**

They soon landed on Lothal, Nema paying Han the other half of his fee before they departed from the Falcon. He already had something to pick up here, so he didn't charge them extra for making a trip which he had no return work for, much to Nema's delight. Ezra waved goodbye to Han before leading Nema off in the direction Kanan had told Ezra they would meet them. They arrived just as Hera brought the Ghost down for a soft landing.

"Hey kid." Sabine said as she walked off of the Ghost, followed by Zeb, Hera and Kanan. Chopper had been left in charge of the ship in case they needed a fast exit. The others were quickly introduced to Dr. Nema, whom they all greeted warmly, before Kanan said, "So where would your parents look for you first?" "The same place I looked for them first, home." Ezra said, a hint of sadness lacing his voice as he thought about what the Empire had done to it.

Kanan put a hand on his shoulder, silently telling him it would be okay. It made Ezra realize just how much he had missed his Master during their separation. "Then let's get going." His master said. Ezra nodded and led the small group through town to the very spot he had mentioned. Of course his parents weren't there, but Ezra hoped they would have left some sign, a trace that they had been. Finding nothing, he started to worry that he wouldn't be able to find them, that he would lose them again. Hera came over and wrapped her arm around her shoulder.

For someone who didn't have the Force, Ezra was always amazed how easily Hera could pick up on the emotions of others. It was something which he was extremely grateful for, though he couldn't bring himself to muster up some extra hope that they would find his parents. He had no clue where to look next, the place they had secretly broadcasted from had been that hidden room under his house and that was the only other thing he could associate them with.

He sat down on the floor of his destroyed home and tried to think of someplace else to look. "Why don't we just ask around and see if anyone has seen them?" asked Zeb. "We don't know who might be working for the Empire, it's too risky for them and for us." Hera replied. Sabine slid down next to Ezra and said, "Is there some place you and you're family liked to go? Or maybe a place that you talked about going to?" "Not really. When they weren't secretly speaking out against the Empire, they were just busy with everyday life and being my parents. We never really talked about places we would like to go because we had each other and that was enough."

A silence fell over the group, one that was interrupted by Hera. "Well we arrived late in the day here. Let's head back to the Ghost and we can start early tomorrow. Dr. Nema, you can take my room and I'll bunk with Sabine tonight." "I don't want to put you out." Nema answered, but Hera put up her hand and said, "You're not, trust me. Just take it as my thank you for getting Ezra safely off your planet." Nema smiled and nodded her acceptances of this as she said, "But of course." Ezra looked longingly at his home, before following the others in the direction of the Ghost. "I will find you mom, dad." He thought to himself as he walked away from his home.

XXX

The next day arrived sooner for some then others, for Ezra it being a particularly long night. What if his parents heard he had headed off world and went in search of him? What if they were captured by the Empire before he found them, or worse killed by them? Because of thoughts like these it had been a long time before he was able to fall asleep, and even then it wasn't a very restful time. He shuffled out into the commons area, looking worse for wear then when he had gone to bed, but he was up and felt like he accomplished a lot just by doing that.

Kanan was worried about his Padawan. He hoped that they would find his parents that day, for he didn't know how much more of this Ezra could take. He could tell, even without the Force, that Ezra hadn't slept well, if at all. Not wanting to push him too much, but feeling like they needed to find his parents fast he asked "Ezra, did you think of somewhere else your parents might be found?" Ezra shook his head before yawning, which he tried to hide unsuccessfully. "No and there is so much of Lothal to cover. They might not even be on Lothal anymore, I mean what if they heard I left? They could be searching for me elsewhere."

"They knew that your message came from here, so even if they have heard that, they might think you'll come back here. Or maybe they ran into the guy who told you about their escape and they know you are looking for them." Hera suggested. A look of confusion crossed his face as he said, "I wonder why he told me they were dead…" "It could be that he thought they were." Nema said, to which Kanan added, "He did say they got separated, maybe he just assumed that they were since he didn't see how they could have survived."

Sabine said, "Maybe when we catch up with your parents they can tell us what happened to them exactly themselves. Anyways, working off of what Hera said, is there a place they may have heard about you going or a place where you frequented enough that people knew about?" Ezra considered this before saying, "Besides the Ghost, my tower is the only other place I can think of." "The one you went to after taking my lightsaber?" Kanan asked. Ezra nodded his confirmation of this before saying, "I guess it is worth looking into."

They decided to walk there since it wasn't far from where they had landed the Ghost, though it was out of sight, on the off chance that the Empire spotted them. They didn't want to chance not being able to look for Ezra's parents. Once again, Chopper was left with the ship in case they needed to make a fast getaway, which also allowed them to travel a little faster since they didn't have to wait for the droid to navigate the uneven ground.

The trip was made in relative silence, everyone hoping that it wouldn't be another dead end for Ezra's sake. The teen boy wouldn't have admitted it, but he was almost on the verge of crying he was so frustrated and emotionally exhausted. To have gone from not allowing himself to hope, to having hope they were alive, to losing it, to getting it back but not being able to find them was just wearing him down more than he would like.

Soon his old "home", if you could call it that, came into view. He remembered the vision of his parents that he had had after hearing that they were dead, how they had been standing on the balcony with him, a memory from before the Empire reached Lothal, maybe it had been the Force saying, "Be patient, they will come here soon." He didn't know, but what he did know was he wasn't going to stop looking for them until he found them.

As he climbed the tower, something about it felt different, but he couldn't quite place his finger on it. It seemed to take forever to reach the top, as if the stairs were magically extending, leading to nowhere, but finally they reached the top. As he was trying to summon the courage to go and open the door, it opened inward of what at first he thought was its own accord. That was soon corrected as a man and a woman stepped through together, looks of disbelief flooding their eyes. Ezra hardly could speak, the joy practically choking him, as he finally got out the words, "Mom, Dad!"


	6. Chapter 6

**ezraSWrebels lol sorry for leaving you on a cliffhanger of a sorts, here is it is :D**

"Ezra!" His parents both exclaimed at the same time, rushing forward to give him a hug as he did the same. They met in the middle collapsing on the ground in a hug between the three of them. When they finally pulled away a little bit, his mother touched his face and said, "You've gotten so big. It's hard to believe you aren't the little boy we left behind anymore." "I missed you both so much." Ezra said as tears filled his eyes. Just then his father seemed to notice that they weren't alone, for the other members of the Ghost were standing silently watching.

"Who are you friends Ezra?" he asked his son. "Oh, these are my friends. They took me in a little while ago. Mom, Dad this is Kanan, Hera, Sabine, Zeb and you may remember Dr Nema. There's also a droid named Chopper but he stayed with the ship. Everyone, these are my parents Ephraim and Mira Bridger." "Thank you for taking care of our son. Good to see you again doctor." Mira said, smiling warmly at the group. Turning her attention back to her son she said, "We heard your broadcast son. You spoke well."

Ezra rubbed the back of his neck and said, "Well you guys taught be that and these guys reminding me of it. That was right after my Master…" "You're Master?!" Ephraim interrupted his son, a hint of rage filling his voice. Ezra held up his hands calmingly and said, "Not that kind of Master, dad. I've been learning the ways of the Jedi." His parents looked shocked as Kanan stepped forward and said, "I think we should let Ezra fill you in on everything. Why don't you come with us to the Ghost, Hera's ship, where you can listen in comfort?" Ezra's parents nodded, still in shock from what Ezra had told them. Their son, a Jedi!

XXX

Back on the Ghost, everyone found a seat or a comfortable place to stand in the commons room before Ezra began his story starting when the Ghost crew found him. Every once in a while the others would put in their own memories or thoughts on a subject, but for the most part there was silence except for Ezra and the dripping of Meiloorun juice as someone bit into one. He ended hours later with, "and then there you were standing in front of me."

His mother gently touched his scars on his face as she said, "You have had so many adventures. Here you are, so grown up from the last time I saw you and I don't mean just in height, but in everything." Turning to the others, she asked, "May we have a moment alone with our son?" Everyone nodded and hurried off to other parts of the ship, as Mira moved to sit next to her son from her position across from him. "So tell me Ezra, now that you have found us, what are you going to do? It's obvious you are close to everyone here and there is your training as a Jedi to consider."

Ezra looked down and said, "I don't know. I feel so torn. I want to stay with you, but these guys are more than just friends to me now, they are my family as well. It's like trying to choose between two families that I love equally." Ephraim smiled at his son and said, "I know what you mean son, I can see how special they are to you. And don't worry we aren't asking you to choose or anything." He shared a look with Mira, who nodded before he continued, "Ezra, we are going to join the Rebellion like you have, so we will still see each other often, but we think its best that you stay with your crew, your family, your Master."

"It will be hard, being close to you but not getting to see you all the time." Mira interrupted her husband, "But not only can we see each other as often as we wish practically, you will be learning the ways of the Jedi, which is just as if not more important. You are being given what has sadly become a rare gift, and we don't want you to waste it. That's not to say that this won't be hard or that we won't miss you, for neither could be further from the truth, but rather that we love you enough to let you go and do what is best not only for you, but the galaxy and the future."

Ezra looked back forth between his parents as tears flooded his eyes, tears that were both happy and sad. Happy that he hadn't been forced to leave everyone, his training and the Rebellion behind, but sad because he knew that even now after he had found his parents, they couldn't go back to being a real family. But they were right. His life wasn't his own anymore, it hadn't been since he had agreed to become Kanan's Padawan, to learn the ways of the Force. At that moment, he had signed his life over to the Force, to the galaxy.

XXX

Hera smiled softly at Ezra as he said goodbye to his parents once they arrived at the Rebel base they had been stationed at by Ahsoka. Ahsoka was kind and wise enough to put them near to Ezra's location so that they could visit often. Nema had also agreed to stay on with them, though she wanted to get more of her supplies and belongings from her office, so Ahsoka had a transport take her a few others Rebels to help her move back to her planet. She was hoping that her crew could get a much needed break, but just then Commander Sato walked towards her holding something that told her that things weren't going to happen that way.

XXX

Back on the Ghost, Ezra had just come back on board after parting from his parents and everyone was comforting him, when Hera came in briskly. Kanan took one look at her face and said, "What are we doing and where are we going?" "There have been rumors spreading on my homeworld, rumors of the Inquisitors sneaking into and out of people's homes. They aren't sure if they are there or what they are looking for, but since it's them…" "They want to send the Jedi after them, got it." Kanan finished for her. She nodded before heading past him, saying over her shoulder, "I am setting a course for Ryloth."

 **Dun dun dun! So I was originally going to end this after him finding his parents, but I got some inspiration at the end of December/beginning of January (yep I had all the way to chapter 7 written up for a while, I just give you guys one a week to help ease those times when I am suffering from writers block) and its going to go a bit further. Not sure yet how far, but we will see :D**


	7. Chapter 7

**ezraSWrebels I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter :D I hope this one continues to please :D**

As Hera landed on Ryloth, she smiled at the sight of a familiar figure standing there waiting for them to land, her father Cham Syndulla. The orange skinned Twi'lek male was smiling as she hurriedly exited the ship, practically running into his open arms to embrace him. Being slightly taller, he put his head atop hers and said, "It's been too long Hera." As she pulled back from the embrace with a smile she said, "I know, it's so good to see you." "As it is to see you. Come, I will fill you in on your Inquisitors."

The others had made it off the Ghost by this point and the last part of Cham's statement had been to them as well. They followed him to a humble house that looked much like those around it. After everyone had found somewhere comfortable to sit, he said "I'm not sure I have much more information that I can give you since we contacted the Rebellion. We do have confirmation that they are the Inquisitors and nothing has gone missing nor seems to be added at any of the houses they have visited. We are even sure what would bring them to Ryloth, as we have not been involved in any battles or wars since The Clone Wars."

"Maybe they aren't searching for anything at all." Sabine said, a finger of one hand tapping against her lip. "What do you mean Sabine?" Hera asked. "What if the Inquisitors used it to draw us here? They might know that Ryloth would be important to you Hera, and since we almost always travel together, they knew that meant that if you came…" "We would come." Kanan finished. A silence fell on the group as they considered this possibility.

Finally Hera turned to her father and asked, "Dad?" Cham sighed and said, "I don't know enough about your enemy to say for sure, but I tend to agree with your young friend here." "If that's true then they have been probably watching for us." Zeb said with a frown. Just then the almost mechanical voice of the Seventh Sister said, "A wise assumption, of course you could have your whole idea wrong, but we have definitely been watching you." Ezra and Kanan leapt to their feet, igniting their blades. The Sister laughed as the Fifth Brother stood there with a stern look on his face.

"Hera, get the others out of here." Kanan said without taking his eyes off of the Inquisitors. He didn't wait to see if she did, but charged the Sister with Ezra right behind him. At the last second he switched his attack to the Brother, leaving the Sister to Ezra, catching both off guard slightly. Though not enough to take them out, it was enough to force them to retreat out of Cham's house. Several Twi'lek froze for a moment, staring at the sight of Jedi being amongst them once again, before rushing off to a safe distance from the battle.

Blue blades struck red ones as Ezra and Kanan tried to force the Inquisitors to retreat even more, trying to gain the upper hand. Likewise the Inquisitors struck blow after blow with their blades, trying to destroy the Jedi. The streets were clear of anyone but the four Force users, something which Ezra and Kanan were grateful for. They didn't have to worry about the Sister and Brother using someone who couldn't defend themselves to get at them.

They completely zoned out of everything but this fight, feeling every movement of the blade coming at them before it even started to move. Which was good, because the Inquisitors pulled out all the stops, swinging their blades while they rotated, making everything as dangerous to the Jedi as they could. The Sister was the first to start grabbing random objects and hurling it at them with the Force, but the Brother wasn't far behind. Kanan was holding up fairly well still, but poor Ezra was getting hit like crazy.

Already some of the smaller, faster moving ones had left bruises that were showing up and some of the bigger objects, though easier for him to repel, still got by and he was starting to feel battered. Ezra was starting to tire, he could feel it and he was sure the Sister either could or soon would as well. He needed to end this while he still could, but the question he was asking himself was how? He couldn't keep up with blocking both the blade and everything flung at him as it was already, what could he do that would give him control?

Kanan could sense his Padawan's fatigue, but there was nothing he could do to help. His fight with the Brother, though going better the Ezra's with the Sister, wasn't any easier. All he could do was hope that either he could take out the Brother and go to help Ezra or Ezra would be able to take out the Sister. He ducked the spinning blade of the Brother as he hurled it towards Kanan's head, making him grumble to himself, "Where's an exploding ship when you need it?"

The Sister by now had picked up on the Padawan's fatigue and was starting to treat him as something close to a toy, not pressing her advantage but hardly straining herself either. Ezra knew it, just by the smirk on her face and it was all he could do not to groan outwardly, all he could do not to give her the satisfaction that she was winning. "I have to beat her. If I lose, she'll go after Kanan and together with the Brother, they would finish him off." He thought desperately.

He swung his blade wildly, trying to throw her off by not having a certain pattern he followed. But nothing he tried worked and she started landing slight hits on him. The cuts from her blade starting to bleed and draining him even faster, he started not being able to focus and he couldn't seem to concentrate on anything. Suddenly the Sister pushed him hard with the Force unexpectedly, causing him to be thrown backwards against a wall, which his head hit with a sickening thud.

Kanan heard it but didn't really register the sound as he continued to focus on the Brother. The Sister walked over to where Ezra had landed, intent on finishing the job that she had been assigned to do. Ezra groaned from his place on the ground, trying to focus on what was happening around him, but already the darkness was starting to close in. The Sister stood above her prey and said, "You fought well young one, but not well enough." She raised her blade to deliver the final, lethal blow.

Ezra raised his hand in a feeble attempt to protect himself from the blow of the blade… a blow which never came. Just before the darkness completely claimed him, Ezra heard the sound of a blade blocking the Sister's. He tried to catch a glimpse of who it was, but the combination of fatigue and blood loss finally won, and he sank into the surrounding darkness.

 **Warning, I haven't finished the next chapter yet as I am having a bit of writers block at the moment, but I hope since I have new episodes of Rebels I will get some inspiration :D Speaking of Rebels, omg I so called it on Sabine! I mean we don't know if everything I guessed is correct, but still XD I said something about it back when I was writing… I think it was With this Blade, but it might have been Spark of Hope and I cant recall if it was something I put on one of my little notes or if it was something in a PM to someone, but I said I bet she was related to them somehow (not saying who in case people who are reading this haven't seen the episode) XD Ohh ironic… I went to see if I could find it cause I was curios and it was a note on my With this Blade story and the chapter was number 7 O.o So yeah if you want to see what I had to say, you can go look at it, its on the bottom of that chapter (pre making note things bold days, so look for the * but yeah I am hitting everything on the nail XD okay that and bringing Cham into my story around the time that they are are the only ones I can think of at the moment, but hey you get my drift XD**


	8. Chapter 8

**ezraSWrebels glad you liked the last chapter :D I always feel a bit nervous about writing lightsaber battles as I don't want them to get repetitive yet having them last two seconds is just boring XD They are fun to write and I wouldn't mind doing more of them in the future :D**

When Ezra came to, a Kel Dorian was standing over him with his mask and glasses to protect his eyes firmly in place. "Good to see you are waking up young one. Your Master has been very worried about you." Came the almost muffled voice of the male. He held out a hand to Ezra, who cautiously took it. Gently, he raised Ezra up, Kanan's worried expression coming into view. "How are you feeling Ezra?" his Master's tone revealing just how deep his worry for his Padawan was. "A little groggy to be honest Kanan. What happened? I remember the Sister was about to swing her blade at me, but it never connected."

"Master Plo Koon arrived just in time to save you." Kanan informed him. "I would have been here sooner, but I had to help some Twi'leks get to safety." Master Plo said. "Well I for one think your timing was great." Ezra said in a tone that was joking, though still showing he was sincere. Master Plo chuckled a little, letting Ezra know he understood how he meant it. "So what happened with the Sister and Brother?" Ezra questioned, looking between Kanan and Master Plo as he waited for an answer.

Kanan sighed and rubbed the back of his neck as he said, "They got away, but we did leave them some marks to remember us by." Ezra sighed and said, "I really wish that they would just leave us alone." "Better us then innocents." Master Plo said, "I'm afraid I am the reason they were here, I came to visit some friends I made back in the Clone Wars. I'm not sure how they found out I was here though." "We're glad you did, I don't think we would have found you otherwise." Kanan answered.

"Where are you going from here Master?" asked Ezra, looking at the older Jedi as he waited for an answer. "I don't know. I find it best to keep moving as it makes it harder for the Empire to track me." Master Plo replied. After a moment he added, "Or so I thought at least." Ezra and Kanan shared a look, Ezra questioning his Master and Kanan agreeing before he said to Master Plo, "Why don't you come with Ezra and I? The Rebellion could use another Jedi." Master Plo put a finger on his chin as he considered this, before finally nodding and saying, "I think I will do that, at least for now."

XXX

After everyone met back up at Cham's house, they spent the night before preparing to leave the following morning. Hera hugged her parents and promised she would contact them soon before leading the other onto the Ghost. Once they were in the air, she took a better look at her two Jedi and said, "The Brother and Sister sure gave you two a beating." "We're only alive if we bruise Hera." Kanan replied, earning an eye roll from the Twi'lek. Master Plo remained silent for most of the journey, watching those that knew each other well talk and banter, a family that would do whatever it took to stay together.

XXX

Ezra was the first off the ship, rushing to tell Ahsoka and Dr. Nema all that had happened on their trip. He found them in the Med Bay, organizing all of Nema's instruments she had brought back with her. "Dr Nema, Ahsoka! You won't believe what happened to us on Ryloth!" Before either of the two female Jedi could say anything, he started into a story about starting from the time they arrived there to just as he lost consciousness, which is when he finally stopped for air.

Seizing the opportunity to speak, Dr. Nema said, "So was it Kanan that saved you?" "No it was…" Ezra was cut off by someone saying, "Dr. Nema? Little Soka?" Ahsoka gasped, turning towards the source of the voice as her hands covered her mouth. Nema turned as well, and the first one that was able to speak of the two, "Plo? But I thought you were shot down in your fighter?" Master Plo shook his head and said, "A Jedi Knight asked to borrow it for an air battle while I was busy on the ground, theirs was in need of fuel or something so I told them to go ahead."

"I can't believe your alive Master! How has the Empire not found you?" Ahsoka asked, finding her voice. "I've kept moving around a lot, how did you two manage to stay alive?" "Well I had already left the order and Bail Organa contacted me to inform me to stay low and what had happened." Ahsoka answered. "Since I wasn't out in battle, nor treating any Clones at the time, no one really thought about me and I was able to slip out of the temple unseen. I was unaware of Ahsoka's survival until recently when her and Kanan brought Ezra to me after he was wounded." Nema replied.

Master Plo turned towards Ezra, humor filling his voice as he said, "Maybe we should send Ezra out to get injured more often, then we might find more Jedi." Ezra blushed before joining in the laughter that had erupted out of Ahsoka and Nema. Ezra left shortly thereafter to let the three other Jedi catch up, going in search of his Master. He found him sitting in the Phantom, staring off into space. After sitting down without receiving any acknowledgement from him as well as sitting there for quite some time with still not a word from him, Ezra asked, "Master, what are you thinking?"

Kanan tore his gaze away from the stars and looked at his Padawan before he replied, "I was thinking, in a short time we found both Dr. Nema and Master Plo, Jedi that survived the Clones turning on them. It makes me wonder how many more are out there." Turning back to look at the stars he continued, "An even if there aren't any others, what about the children that we have encountered that are Force Sensitive? Could we five be enough to train an entire new generation of Jedi? And can we ever do that with the Empire still around?"

He fell silent, as Ezra, who was feeling pleased to counted among the Jedi that were trained, put a hand on his Master's shoulder and said, "I don't know the answer to any of those questions Kanan, and I don't know if we'll ever really know those answers. It's a big galaxy with so many places to hide, that if there are other survivors, they could go unnoticed by both us and the Empire. Maybe we could find a place where the Empire can't touch us, can't find us and restart the Jedi. We do need to find a safe place for the babies and their families."

"And as for if we are enough, we would have been enough if it were just you and me. For all it takes is one person to teach another and the knowledge can spread faster and faster as they both teach someone else, and those someones teach other someones." Ezra turned his head to meet his Master's gaze, who was staring at him in awe from the wisdom Ezra was showing before he continued, "This is something we need to talk to with the others, as Jedi. They can help us decide the answers."

Kanan nodded, agreeing with his Padawan, before once again looking at the stars. What had moments ago seemed like a reminder that there were many hurdles to make it over, so many that it seemed impossible, now gave him a sense of peace, maybe even a sense of new hope.

 **Just in case, I am going to say this. If it bugs you that Plo Koon is alive because he died in RotS, then pretend the one in the movie was just another of his species that they happened to show. I'm sorry but a) Plo Koon is one of my favs and b) he is just too awesome not to use.**

 **Also I wasn't sure, for example, in the first sentence if I should write his species as Kel Dor, as thats what it is listed as, or Kel Dorian, since it just seemed weird to me without the ian when Ezra was describing him. If I'm wrong and what feels weird to me is right, then please let me know so I can fix that, as I couldn't find any examples, lol.**

 **And yep, put some of the song lyrics that the title was taken from in here since my friend who has the YT channel that dared me to use the song said that having it in the title wasn't enough XD Not that she has even done her end of the bargain yet :P**

 **This is the last chapter in this story, but I am going to do a sequel. In fact I have a story that I was writing to get my mind of this one in hopes of clearing up the writers block (which it did) that with a little editing can be the next phase of the story. Look for I Will Surrender under my stories for the sequel, I'll try to remember to upload the Prologue the same day I upload this chapter :D**

 **Final Word Count 9622**


End file.
